Day Twenty-Five: 25

25 Things I have learned since becoming more "agricultural."

1. Never plan an event during planting...or harvest...or haying...or calving.

2. Never plan an event.

3. Dust and dirt are inevitable.

4. The weather is your best friend and your worst enemy.

5. While we are at the mercy of the weather, all decisions are made methodically, scientifically, and with precise execution.

6. Little Debbie Nutty Bars are a must-have cupboard item.

7. White work gloves are white for only one day...which is good, because Joe looks pretty girly in them!

8. Rubber boots are seasonal, like flip flops and Uggs. Lightweight waterproof boots for the summer, heavier, insulated waterproof boots for the winter.

9. Rain is a necessary evil (see item #4, and this spring...and the fall of 2009).

10. Farm kids can easily talk about sex, life and death, and manure at the dinner table.

11. Farmers WILL talk about sex, life and death, and manure at the dinner table.

12. People are crazy about food, and hungry for knowledge, so shut up and listen and then respond in an intelligent manner

13. People are crazy about food, and will not listen even if you try to shut up and respond in an intelligent manner.

14. Legacies are left, and lived out in the work ethic of a farmer.

15. Bib overalls have not stayed in the vault of 90s fashion. They are alive and well, and currently in my dryer.

16. Cattle will get out, and you will be on vacation, or at a ball game or 30 miles away at a dinner party.

17. Neighbors are not next door, yet invaluable friends and helpers in time of need.

18. The slower you drive after a car wash, the less dust you'll kick up and keep your car dust free for about 30 seconds.

19. You'll never have a clean car.

20. When in doubt, pray for guidance and ask for wisdom. Nothing is in our control.

21. When in doubt, bake a pie. That always makes a bad day better. Who doesn't like pie?

22. Don't call your husband while he's on the top of the bin, just to check in.

23. Finding a friend who "gets it" is worth driving 45 minutes to meet them at a Starbucks.

24. Living on the farm makes you appreciate the quiet of a summer night and the bustle of a city.

25. Nothing could happen on this operation without faith in God. Nothing (see #4, #20, #14...)

Linking up with Holly for one more week right here.